MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
For those of you not up on your nautical flags and their meaning, the "Q" flag is a quarantine flag. I have the plague, not the swine flu, by a head and chest cold, perhaps a 24 hour tumor, but whatever it is/was, it laid me out for the weekend. I haven't even had the energy to check tio see if ABISHAG is "up for sale" yet. I will later, not that I want to see it. He just typing this out is taking all the energy I got.
Stay healthy.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
There Is An Upside
SHIP'S LOG:
Well there is an actual upside with having ABISHAG up for sale, I can now look at catalogues and not plan and scheme and drool over all of the "new toys" that I would like to buy for her for next season. Not having any real money to spend, I know that I can't afford anything, short of maintenance items and not even those right now. So I am free to "spend" outrageously and never fear or worry over paying for them.
I can't get down to the boat today so the rest of the cleanup and decommissioning will have to wait. It is neat enough for the brokers to take their pix, so I would expect that the "For Sale" ad will be up by Monday. It will be interesting to see how long it is before we get a nibble, though considering how long it has been with the condo, it could be a long, long wait.
Sometime over the winter, I will have to pull out the windlass and get it to a electrical motor shop and see if they can re-work the motor, Considering a new windlass is about four(4) Marine Units, a couple of hundred for re-working the motor will be a steal.
I will also have the chance to redo some more of the wiring. Some of it is still pretty ratty and it would be a good thing to neaten it up. Come the spring I will also have to finish the deck. I was able to re-caulk about 1/3 of the decking and it eliminated the leaks that were apparent, and if I don't finish it, it is only a matter of time before the water finds another entrance somewhere. Based upon last spring's effort, it should not take more than a week to get it done. I still have to get that one winch on the mast working. So far though, it has resisted every attempt on my part get it going. The central shaft seems frozen for some reason. A winch repair shop feels that the pawls were put in backwards and that is why the central shaft is stuck. It happened sometime in the past and that is also why it is impossible to completely dismantle it. I will probably have to take it completely off the mast to be able to do it properly.
One rather stinky project will be to empty the fuel tank, clean it out and get all the grunge, sludge and crap that is inside out. I was reading an article about how to do it and it seems a rather simple though messy project. The most difficult part will be removing the fuel. I'll have to get a couple large fuel containers and "polish" the fuel as it comes out of the tank. "Polishing" means cleaning the fuel of all contaminates by running the fuel through a filter as I take it out before wiping the inside of the tank with "diapers" to suck up and remove all the sludge. The putting the fuel back in, "polishing" it again by running it through some finer filters as it goes back in. This should pretty much eliminate any clogging of filters in the future. Luckily, there is already an access panel in the tank which will eliminate the need to put one in before beginning the project. I think I may also add a new fuel gauge with a float to determine the amount of fuel in the tank. There currently is a pneumatic fuel gauge, but I can't quite figure out exactly how it works or if it is actually working. A pneumatic gauge works by pumping air into the tank causing the fuel gauge to register the amount of fuel in the tank. However, it just doesn't seem to work right, or measure accurately or at all. Perhaps there is an air leak somewhere. But emptying the tank anyway will provide the opportunity to add a back up fuel gauge and I might as well do it.
Aside from that, the only work that "needs" to be done is to paint the bottom and put on new zincs and ABISHAG will be ready to go. Of course, there is always the eternal projects list but there will be nothing that absolutely needs to be done. It has only taken me about three (3) years to get her ready to go.
CAPTAIN'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am hoping that she sells quickly. I am hoping she doesn't sell. I am feeling very schizophrenic right now but then it is winter. What do you expect?
Well there is an actual upside with having ABISHAG up for sale, I can now look at catalogues and not plan and scheme and drool over all of the "new toys" that I would like to buy for her for next season. Not having any real money to spend, I know that I can't afford anything, short of maintenance items and not even those right now. So I am free to "spend" outrageously and never fear or worry over paying for them.
I can't get down to the boat today so the rest of the cleanup and decommissioning will have to wait. It is neat enough for the brokers to take their pix, so I would expect that the "For Sale" ad will be up by Monday. It will be interesting to see how long it is before we get a nibble, though considering how long it has been with the condo, it could be a long, long wait.
Sometime over the winter, I will have to pull out the windlass and get it to a electrical motor shop and see if they can re-work the motor, Considering a new windlass is about four(4) Marine Units, a couple of hundred for re-working the motor will be a steal.
I will also have the chance to redo some more of the wiring. Some of it is still pretty ratty and it would be a good thing to neaten it up. Come the spring I will also have to finish the deck. I was able to re-caulk about 1/3 of the decking and it eliminated the leaks that were apparent, and if I don't finish it, it is only a matter of time before the water finds another entrance somewhere. Based upon last spring's effort, it should not take more than a week to get it done. I still have to get that one winch on the mast working. So far though, it has resisted every attempt on my part get it going. The central shaft seems frozen for some reason. A winch repair shop feels that the pawls were put in backwards and that is why the central shaft is stuck. It happened sometime in the past and that is also why it is impossible to completely dismantle it. I will probably have to take it completely off the mast to be able to do it properly.
One rather stinky project will be to empty the fuel tank, clean it out and get all the grunge, sludge and crap that is inside out. I was reading an article about how to do it and it seems a rather simple though messy project. The most difficult part will be removing the fuel. I'll have to get a couple large fuel containers and "polish" the fuel as it comes out of the tank. "Polishing" means cleaning the fuel of all contaminates by running the fuel through a filter as I take it out before wiping the inside of the tank with "diapers" to suck up and remove all the sludge. The putting the fuel back in, "polishing" it again by running it through some finer filters as it goes back in. This should pretty much eliminate any clogging of filters in the future. Luckily, there is already an access panel in the tank which will eliminate the need to put one in before beginning the project. I think I may also add a new fuel gauge with a float to determine the amount of fuel in the tank. There currently is a pneumatic fuel gauge, but I can't quite figure out exactly how it works or if it is actually working. A pneumatic gauge works by pumping air into the tank causing the fuel gauge to register the amount of fuel in the tank. However, it just doesn't seem to work right, or measure accurately or at all. Perhaps there is an air leak somewhere. But emptying the tank anyway will provide the opportunity to add a back up fuel gauge and I might as well do it.
Aside from that, the only work that "needs" to be done is to paint the bottom and put on new zincs and ABISHAG will be ready to go. Of course, there is always the eternal projects list but there will be nothing that absolutely needs to be done. It has only taken me about three (3) years to get her ready to go.
CAPTAIN'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am hoping that she sells quickly. I am hoping she doesn't sell. I am feeling very schizophrenic right now but then it is winter. What do you expect?
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Little By Little
SHIP'S LOG:
I visited ABISHAG yesterday to clean her up for her photos. The brokers will be by in the next day or so to take some for the advertisement that she is up for sale. I more arranged stuff so that it was neat rather than did any real cleaning. I also packed away all of the clothes that were on the boat. They went into plastic bags with several dryer-softener sheets to prevent mildew and keep them smelling fresh. (Hey, do knock it, it works!) I have decided that I am not going to haul anything home if it can be stored on the boat over the winter. With a little preparation, most everything can stay. This repeats two benefits: 1.) I don't have to repack the stuff and haul it all home for the winter and 2.) I won't have to haul it all back in the spring and put it back in place on the boat. I am always in favor of less work!
Some stuff did go: batteries(9 volt size, C's and D's) for the various small items that use them; electronics like the GPS units and the like; and some food stuffs that won't make the winter and which I might as well eatnow. I hate winter. I hate that I have to spend winter here!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
There is a strange feeling of detachment as I ready ABISHAG for her winter sleep. I am going through the motions. Everything is getting done but there is no passion. Something is missing. It is as if I am a yard worker working on a boa that is not my own. True, she hasn't been sold yet and may not be by spring. Heck, the ad is not even up yet. Still, there is a distance, a separation, a slip of some kind happening. It feels weird. I can't quite name it or explain it but it is there.
I visited ABISHAG yesterday to clean her up for her photos. The brokers will be by in the next day or so to take some for the advertisement that she is up for sale. I more arranged stuff so that it was neat rather than did any real cleaning. I also packed away all of the clothes that were on the boat. They went into plastic bags with several dryer-softener sheets to prevent mildew and keep them smelling fresh. (Hey, do knock it, it works!) I have decided that I am not going to haul anything home if it can be stored on the boat over the winter. With a little preparation, most everything can stay. This repeats two benefits: 1.) I don't have to repack the stuff and haul it all home for the winter and 2.) I won't have to haul it all back in the spring and put it back in place on the boat. I am always in favor of less work!
Some stuff did go: batteries(9 volt size, C's and D's) for the various small items that use them; electronics like the GPS units and the like; and some food stuffs that won't make the winter and which I might as well eatnow. I hate winter. I hate that I have to spend winter here!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
There is a strange feeling of detachment as I ready ABISHAG for her winter sleep. I am going through the motions. Everything is getting done but there is no passion. Something is missing. It is as if I am a yard worker working on a boa that is not my own. True, she hasn't been sold yet and may not be by spring. Heck, the ad is not even up yet. Still, there is a distance, a separation, a slip of some kind happening. It feels weird. I can't quite name it or explain it but it is there.
Monday, November 2, 2009
For Sale - ABISHAG
SHIP'S LOG:
I went do to the Mystic Shipyard today. I paid off the balance of the winter storage fee(Ugh!). I took the sails off the boat and horsed them into my little P.O.S. of a vehicle. Then I went over to the broker's office and handed in my "Listing Agreement." Having done some online searching, the only Camper Nicholson 39 foot Center Cockpit Ketch I could find for sale was in Malaysia and it was going for $98,000. So I decided to let ABISHAG go for $90,000. Boy, that was tough putting down that number. I guess that is the price of a dream. The broker didn't balk at it and still seemed very upbeat and positive about getting the boat sold. I still feel awful about it. Perhaps she won't sell, but things being as they are, I have to hope that she will. It is a nasty situation to be in.
I drove the sails over to the sail loft where I have work and hauled them upstairs. I drop them on this huge pile of sails that need washing before work could be done on them. I talked with John about doing grunt work in the loft and he said he would get back to me. At the very least, I will probably get to wash all the sails as soon as they find a place to do it. The downstairs where it is usually done has been co-opted for the build of a boat and there is no room, or very little, to undertake the project. But it will have to be done. There are few things more fun than wrestling with wet, uncooperative sails. You end up cold and wet and exhausted. Fun! Fun! Fun!!!!!!
Even more fun was going back to TYC to retrieve the dinghy. Evidently, when we had that Nor'easter a couple of weeks back, the dinghy took a hit. It is an inflatable, soft bottom dinghy and to keep you from stepping through the soft bottom, it is equipped with an inflatable floor with several wooden panels in it. The wind must have somehow gotten under it because it was gone who knows where. The dinghy had been retied so it must have broken loose or tipped over or something like that. Some one down at the club had retied it but not before the floor went somewhere on a journey of its own. I will have to contact the manufacture and inquire about the cost of a new floor. The dinghy will be going with ABISHAG if she gets a new home and it will have to be usable. I wonder how many Marine Units that will be?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am depressed. Not clinically depressed, but depressed nonetheless. After all, it is November, on of the worst months. As Rumpbole of the Bailey says, "No Sun, No Flowers, No Warmth, November!" I had been hoping that I wouldn't have to strip out the boat again this soon. I should be still moving south, not on the hard in Connecticut. But here I am. There is something good and wonderful coming I am sure, but for the life of me I can't see what it might be. The again, hope spring eternal!!!!
I went do to the Mystic Shipyard today. I paid off the balance of the winter storage fee(Ugh!). I took the sails off the boat and horsed them into my little P.O.S. of a vehicle. Then I went over to the broker's office and handed in my "Listing Agreement." Having done some online searching, the only Camper Nicholson 39 foot Center Cockpit Ketch I could find for sale was in Malaysia and it was going for $98,000. So I decided to let ABISHAG go for $90,000. Boy, that was tough putting down that number. I guess that is the price of a dream. The broker didn't balk at it and still seemed very upbeat and positive about getting the boat sold. I still feel awful about it. Perhaps she won't sell, but things being as they are, I have to hope that she will. It is a nasty situation to be in.
I drove the sails over to the sail loft where I have work and hauled them upstairs. I drop them on this huge pile of sails that need washing before work could be done on them. I talked with John about doing grunt work in the loft and he said he would get back to me. At the very least, I will probably get to wash all the sails as soon as they find a place to do it. The downstairs where it is usually done has been co-opted for the build of a boat and there is no room, or very little, to undertake the project. But it will have to be done. There are few things more fun than wrestling with wet, uncooperative sails. You end up cold and wet and exhausted. Fun! Fun! Fun!!!!!!
Even more fun was going back to TYC to retrieve the dinghy. Evidently, when we had that Nor'easter a couple of weeks back, the dinghy took a hit. It is an inflatable, soft bottom dinghy and to keep you from stepping through the soft bottom, it is equipped with an inflatable floor with several wooden panels in it. The wind must have somehow gotten under it because it was gone who knows where. The dinghy had been retied so it must have broken loose or tipped over or something like that. Some one down at the club had retied it but not before the floor went somewhere on a journey of its own. I will have to contact the manufacture and inquire about the cost of a new floor. The dinghy will be going with ABISHAG if she gets a new home and it will have to be usable. I wonder how many Marine Units that will be?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I am depressed. Not clinically depressed, but depressed nonetheless. After all, it is November, on of the worst months. As Rumpbole of the Bailey says, "No Sun, No Flowers, No Warmth, November!" I had been hoping that I wouldn't have to strip out the boat again this soon. I should be still moving south, not on the hard in Connecticut. But here I am. There is something good and wonderful coming I am sure, but for the life of me I can't see what it might be. The again, hope spring eternal!!!!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Winter Has Arrived!
SHIP'S LOG:
Skip and his wife Nancy, along with their friend Tom the Vintner and I brought ABISHAG to her winter home in Mystic. The trip took about 2 hours and was a breeze! And there certainly was a breeze. The wind was out of the Southwest at 15 knots with gust to 20-25. Waves were about 3 feet and it would have been a champion of a day to sail . . .if it was say August and there was no particular destination, but such was not the case today. As a result we motored the whole way and it was actually a rather nice ride. The trip to the Mystic River held no real problems, the greatest merely being the need to dodge the lobster pot buoys. With the wind and the waves, most of the buoys were difficult to see as they were at the end of their lines and so rode just below the surface. As luck would have it though we tangled with none. It would have been a really crappy day for going overboard to get one off the prop. The only boats out in the sound were some lobster boats, the odd fisherman or two and the cross sound ferries. There were two sailboats that came out of the Mystic River. One motored down the sound toward Niantic and the other put up sails. That one went off like a shot and quickly shortened sail. No one was interested in getting green water over the deck. true, the temperature was in the 60's but it still didn't pay to get wet. There were lots of empty mooring balls off the yacht club and as we went up the Mystic River, it was more of the same.
Going up the Mystic River was interesting in that the wind was right on our back and was pushing us along. as we got to the Mystic Shipyard, I dropped the throttle to idle and we were still moving along at a good 3.5 knots. I threw her into reverse to bring here to a stop and then turned ABISHAG into the fairway between the docks. I slowly proceeded down the left side of the fairway and made a slow right turn toward the slip. I had read a couple of articles about maneuvering a boat using a boat's prop wash. The turning the prop will slew the heading of the boat one way or the other depending on whether you are in reverse or going forward. Moving between forward and reverse, I lined the bow up with the empty slip and proceeded in. IT was slightly hairy as the wind was directly from behind and moved us faster than I wanted to got, but with judicious application of revers, we slipped right in and I surprised even myself. We were just about to begin tying up when I noticed that I was in slip #11 and not slip O #7. &^#%$%$#!!!!! I had to back out and move down two slips. Actually it went pretty easily and by the time I was approaching the slip, we got a hand from one of the yard workers. ABISHAG got all tied down, safe and sound and we were home for the winter.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The trip was a snap and it went off without a hitch. Actually, I though God was fooling with me as when I turned the key to start the engine back at TYC nothing happened. However, I knew exactly what the problem was. One of the wires had slipped off the starting solenoid. I put it back on, turned the key and the engine roar to life. That was the biggest problem and was solved very easily. I know the boat well enough now that I can readily identify and fix most of the common problems. I guess that it means it is time to say goodbye. I'll be down readying the boat for the Monday Morning visit by the brokers and the reality of ABISHAG is up for sale will hit home. DAMN!
Skip and his wife Nancy, along with their friend Tom the Vintner and I brought ABISHAG to her winter home in Mystic. The trip took about 2 hours and was a breeze! And there certainly was a breeze. The wind was out of the Southwest at 15 knots with gust to 20-25. Waves were about 3 feet and it would have been a champion of a day to sail . . .if it was say August and there was no particular destination, but such was not the case today. As a result we motored the whole way and it was actually a rather nice ride. The trip to the Mystic River held no real problems, the greatest merely being the need to dodge the lobster pot buoys. With the wind and the waves, most of the buoys were difficult to see as they were at the end of their lines and so rode just below the surface. As luck would have it though we tangled with none. It would have been a really crappy day for going overboard to get one off the prop. The only boats out in the sound were some lobster boats, the odd fisherman or two and the cross sound ferries. There were two sailboats that came out of the Mystic River. One motored down the sound toward Niantic and the other put up sails. That one went off like a shot and quickly shortened sail. No one was interested in getting green water over the deck. true, the temperature was in the 60's but it still didn't pay to get wet. There were lots of empty mooring balls off the yacht club and as we went up the Mystic River, it was more of the same.
Going up the Mystic River was interesting in that the wind was right on our back and was pushing us along. as we got to the Mystic Shipyard, I dropped the throttle to idle and we were still moving along at a good 3.5 knots. I threw her into reverse to bring here to a stop and then turned ABISHAG into the fairway between the docks. I slowly proceeded down the left side of the fairway and made a slow right turn toward the slip. I had read a couple of articles about maneuvering a boat using a boat's prop wash. The turning the prop will slew the heading of the boat one way or the other depending on whether you are in reverse or going forward. Moving between forward and reverse, I lined the bow up with the empty slip and proceeded in. IT was slightly hairy as the wind was directly from behind and moved us faster than I wanted to got, but with judicious application of revers, we slipped right in and I surprised even myself. We were just about to begin tying up when I noticed that I was in slip #11 and not slip O #7. &^#%$%$#!!!!! I had to back out and move down two slips. Actually it went pretty easily and by the time I was approaching the slip, we got a hand from one of the yard workers. ABISHAG got all tied down, safe and sound and we were home for the winter.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
The trip was a snap and it went off without a hitch. Actually, I though God was fooling with me as when I turned the key to start the engine back at TYC nothing happened. However, I knew exactly what the problem was. One of the wires had slipped off the starting solenoid. I put it back on, turned the key and the engine roar to life. That was the biggest problem and was solved very easily. I know the boat well enough now that I can readily identify and fix most of the common problems. I guess that it means it is time to say goodbye. I'll be down readying the boat for the Monday Morning visit by the brokers and the reality of ABISHAG is up for sale will hit home. DAMN!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Winter Begins Tomorrow!
SHIP'S LOG:
Winter will begin tomorrow sometime around noon. At 10AM, I will start up the engine and motor toward Mystic and the Mystic Shipyard and there ABISHAG will slip into a slip and the process of readying her for the winter will begin. I will also begin readying her for a visit by the brokers on Monday as she goes up for sale.And no, I still haven't quite come up with a selling price.
Skip and a friend will help me move the boat. Actually, it is just the last 20 feet or so of the journey where I could use some help. It is bad form, as well as a great expense, to run into the dock at the end of a slip. I wouldn't expect much damage to ABISHAG so much as I would expect to do some serious damage to the dock. She is rather overbuilt as this past year has made abundantly clear.
The day is expected to be mostly cloudy but at least we will (should?) avoid having to make the trip in the rain(snow?). It will be a sad day. I should be closing in on the land of eternal sunshine not still here in New England!
I learned that Bruce, who with a friend had intended to go down the ICW with me before everything went into the crapper, has put his own boat up for sail. I guess there is a lot of that going around these days. It makes a dreary time of the year even more so.
Winter will begin tomorrow sometime around noon. At 10AM, I will start up the engine and motor toward Mystic and the Mystic Shipyard and there ABISHAG will slip into a slip and the process of readying her for the winter will begin. I will also begin readying her for a visit by the brokers on Monday as she goes up for sale.And no, I still haven't quite come up with a selling price.
Skip and a friend will help me move the boat. Actually, it is just the last 20 feet or so of the journey where I could use some help. It is bad form, as well as a great expense, to run into the dock at the end of a slip. I wouldn't expect much damage to ABISHAG so much as I would expect to do some serious damage to the dock. She is rather overbuilt as this past year has made abundantly clear.
The day is expected to be mostly cloudy but at least we will (should?) avoid having to make the trip in the rain(snow?). It will be a sad day. I should be closing in on the land of eternal sunshine not still here in New England!
I learned that Bruce, who with a friend had intended to go down the ICW with me before everything went into the crapper, has put his own boat up for sail. I guess there is a lot of that going around these days. It makes a dreary time of the year even more so.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
It's Like A Root Canal
SHIP'S LOG:
It was pouring rain so it was appropriate to go down to the Mystic Shipyard and begin the process of getting ABISHAG hauled. I went down and signed the contract and put down 1/2 of the cost. I decided that since the cost of hauling for storage on the bricks and storing in the water cost exactly the same that I would leave ABISHAG in her element. Doing so also saved me the cost of rent the boat stands(35 x 7), removing both masts ($500 x 2), power washing ($150), and several other items that had to be done if she were stored on land,so it turned out to be a no brainer, especially considering what I had to do to get the money I already have for storage. It will require a little more work on my part but it is worth it. It will also mean that being in the water makes her livable upon . . . once the weather gets warm in the spring. It will also mean that she will be more accessible for prospective buyers.
Hopefully I will be able to shanghai a warm body to help with the move on Saturday. It is not that it will be a difficult move. It will be a simple move. It is not the move where I will need the assistance, rather it will be the docking. Not having to have put the boat into a slip all season, my "expertise" in that manuever is a little suspect. It will be a good thing to have someone help with the last 20 feet or so of the trip, especially with the tie up.
After signing the contract with the yard, I went over to Mystic Shipyard Brokers and made arrangements to list ABISHAG for sale. Both of the brokers (two brothers no less) were very nice and very positive. To say that they were drooling is not much of an exaggeration. They were very upbeat and made it clear that "they thought" that selling her won't be that much of a problem.(Anyone who believes that, stand on your head!) They said the market was active and that they really felt that it will be done.
They gave me a copy of the "Listing Agreement." This document is a description of the boat and all of the equipment on it and the general condition of each piece, from sails to engine and everything in between. Looking at it, it was something akin to an obituary. It was unsettling to fill it out. Actually the toughest line to fill in, and one which I haven't done yet,
is the selling price. What is the price of a dream? Replacement value of the boat is $600,000. I paid $53,000. I put about $25,000 into her so far. What do I put down for the sell price( the broker's commission will be 10%)? I have to come up with a price by Monday. What do I pot done on the line "Selling Price"?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was good that it was a cold and rainy and miserable day. It was a perfect expression of exactly what I was feeling. I wanted to say the hell with it and just head south. Obviously that isn't possible. It would be a bad thing to go go through foreclosure, have my "credit" go into the toilet and then have the police after me. I need the money especially if the condo continues not selling. If it sells, then maybe, just maybe, selling ABISHAG won't be necessary. The whole situation just sucks. Even though I was able to raise money for this months bills and the angels came through for winter storage, there is still next month to worry about. And the month after that. And the month after that. Etc. Etc. Etc.
It was pouring rain so it was appropriate to go down to the Mystic Shipyard and begin the process of getting ABISHAG hauled. I went down and signed the contract and put down 1/2 of the cost. I decided that since the cost of hauling for storage on the bricks and storing in the water cost exactly the same that I would leave ABISHAG in her element. Doing so also saved me the cost of rent the boat stands(35 x 7), removing both masts ($500 x 2), power washing ($150), and several other items that had to be done if she were stored on land,so it turned out to be a no brainer, especially considering what I had to do to get the money I already have for storage. It will require a little more work on my part but it is worth it. It will also mean that being in the water makes her livable upon . . . once the weather gets warm in the spring. It will also mean that she will be more accessible for prospective buyers.
Hopefully I will be able to shanghai a warm body to help with the move on Saturday. It is not that it will be a difficult move. It will be a simple move. It is not the move where I will need the assistance, rather it will be the docking. Not having to have put the boat into a slip all season, my "expertise" in that manuever is a little suspect. It will be a good thing to have someone help with the last 20 feet or so of the trip, especially with the tie up.
After signing the contract with the yard, I went over to Mystic Shipyard Brokers and made arrangements to list ABISHAG for sale. Both of the brokers (two brothers no less) were very nice and very positive. To say that they were drooling is not much of an exaggeration. They were very upbeat and made it clear that "they thought" that selling her won't be that much of a problem.(Anyone who believes that, stand on your head!) They said the market was active and that they really felt that it will be done.
They gave me a copy of the "Listing Agreement." This document is a description of the boat and all of the equipment on it and the general condition of each piece, from sails to engine and everything in between. Looking at it, it was something akin to an obituary. It was unsettling to fill it out. Actually the toughest line to fill in, and one which I haven't done yet,
is the selling price. What is the price of a dream? Replacement value of the boat is $600,000. I paid $53,000. I put about $25,000 into her so far. What do I put down for the sell price( the broker's commission will be 10%)? I have to come up with a price by Monday. What do I pot done on the line "Selling Price"?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It was good that it was a cold and rainy and miserable day. It was a perfect expression of exactly what I was feeling. I wanted to say the hell with it and just head south. Obviously that isn't possible. It would be a bad thing to go go through foreclosure, have my "credit" go into the toilet and then have the police after me. I need the money especially if the condo continues not selling. If it sells, then maybe, just maybe, selling ABISHAG won't be necessary. The whole situation just sucks. Even though I was able to raise money for this months bills and the angels came through for winter storage, there is still next month to worry about. And the month after that. And the month after that. Etc. Etc. Etc.
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